Letters: Calvinism

Calvinism: Why bother?

If I believed in predestination, I would not attend church and certainly would not give a dime for evangelism. What difference would it make?

Don Taylor

Willis, Texas

Response to ‘dissidents’

To Bob Cleveland’s letter calling the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship “dissidents,” I would respond:

• A more accurate term would be “remnant.”

• Never forget “might does not make right.”

• By definition, a “split” is a split, no matter the amount of people who do so.

• CBF’s 700,000 recognize their organization is part of a larger universal church, a larger story, even bigger than denominational lines, which encompasses 2.2 billion Christians around the globe.

Kyle Tubbs

Round Rock

SBC takes ‘dangerous position’ on counseling

Allow me to ask a question as a nouthetic biblical counselor and pastor who was, admittedly, not in attendance at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Houston to hear all the conversation and debate surrounding mental illness—assuming there was such discussion.

According to the Baptist Press, SBC President Fred Luter proclaimed in his message at the outset of the meeting that Southern Baptists always have had a love for the scriptures and “nothing can be politically right if it is biblically wrong,” which is reported to have prompted loud applause.

The next morning, messengers overwhelmingly defeated an amendment that said Scripture is the “final authority” on all mental health issues and also rejected an amendment affirming Scripture as sufficient for counseling all phases of the human condition.

This deeply saddens me and begs the question: If scripture is not sufficient, if it is not the final authority on healing spiritual and mental health, then what is? Man and his ways, his devices?

That’s dangerous and runs counter to President Luter’s comments.

Allan Hubbard

Elgin